ALBUM REVIEW: At The Heart Of Wintervale – Twilight Force
Power metal and symphonic metal are both perfect for bands and artists to create their own fantasy world to explore and develop through song. The majority of the time bands like to go through the fantasy genre, or the adventure genre with pirates or space aliens for example. Some bands utilise this for just one song, others make it their whole persona for better or worse. One such band is TWILIGHT FORCE, who are often referred to as ‘adventure metal’ and cite role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons as inspiration for their albums. Creating a world known as The Twilight Kingdoms, the next tale for the band will be told through their fourth album, At The Heart Of Wintervale. So, is this an epic tale that will be listened to for generations to come, or one that many will want to forget in a hurry?
One thing to be noted about the instrumentation and orchestration is that its tone is very whimsical, almost like it could be heard at a Disney park performance. It captivates the listener from that first note, and the blend of electric guitars and drums with the symphonic orchestra creates a grand and rich body of sound to build the story upon and allow the music to assist in weaving an epic tale for the listener. It can be expansive, loud, intense and fierce, but it can also be soft, serene, gentle and comforting, which can be heard in the introduction of Dragonborn and in A Familiar Memory. The tone and instrumentation plays along the ‘bardcore’ theme, as if the listener would hear this in a tavern scene during a D&D campaign.
The lyrics in the songs are equally fantastic, both in setting the story and also expanding on the characters and understanding their desires and motivations as a storyteller should. This is on display in Highlands Of The Elder Dragon, which depicts a young man who hears of the legend and desires to go on an adventure to seek this legend. The Last Crystal Bearer also tells an epic chapter of the tale, where every element of the band comes together to showcase a fierce battle; it can be menacing and tense when depicting the villain side, but also hopeful and heroic when playing the heroes. It feels complete and whole, as if the band thought out every element of the story from beginning to end and really fine-tuned the details to expand on this chapter within their own world.
Overall, this is truly an epic album in the sense of the story it tells and the music it utilises to achieve the band’s intended goal with this record. It is a gem within the symphonic metal genre, and when fans describe TWILIGHT FORCE as ‘adventure metal’ they are correct. The songs extending to 10 minutes might seem off-putting to some first time listeners, but once it plays, the next chapter begins and it’s a tale that no one would want to switch off. It is an epic, and one that many will return to throughout the rest of the year, and indeed the years to come.
Rating: 9/10
At The Heart Of Wintervale is set for release on January 20th via Nuclear Blast Records.
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